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Used car salesmen get a bad rap, and there are good reasons for that. But I think the home performance community can learn from them in some important ways. I say that as someone who once had a serious case of buyer’s remorse, but got over it.[continue reading]

Home Energy has become a new member of the new U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Residential Network, which connects energy efficiency programs and partners to share best practices and learn from each other to dramatically increase the number of American homes that are energy efficient.[continue reading]

How is a vineyard like an energy efficient house? Not a trick question…I found out when touring in Sonoma County last weekend during a 4-hour, 4-1/2 mile hike and 500-foot elevation gain through the Kunde Family Estate over hills, dales, roads, trails, fields, and vine rows overlooking the beautiful Sonoma countryside.[continue reading]

If you’re anything like me, you thought at one point that you could completely ignore hashtags (any word or phrase preceded by the # symbol). When they were introduced to Twitter in 2010, I remember thinking, Those aren’t going to catch on. That’s so confusing![continue reading]

Did you notice IREC’s July 11 news release regarding our accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a developer of American national standards? Do you know what this means?[continue reading]

Want to know why air travel is still, by far, the safest way to go? Do you want to know how hospitals around the world can cut the risk of post-surgical complications and death by more than half? Do you wonder why the greatest triumphs of engineering, buildings and infrastructure, are beautiful, as well as safe and functional? The answer is checklists. I was inspired by this simple and powerful tool after reading The Checklist ...[continue reading]

People have different lighting needs at different times. They want brighter lights at the workplace, for example, than they do evenings in the living room. This is where the new energy-saving and LED light bulbs can play a role. The German industrial association Initiative ELEKTRO+ reports that these lights not only use up to 80% less energy, but also are more and more available in a variety of forms that make it easier to get lighting ...[continue reading]

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES) Program released the draft Sponsor Guide and Reference Manual (v1.5) (Sponsor Guide) for public comment in response to the need for greater clarity of HPwES Program requirements. The Sponsor Guide is a technical document that outlines the requirements for Sponsors' participation in the national Program, as well as provides resources for program implementation and best practices. DOE is interested in ...[continue reading]

The mission began when our last child graduated from college and we began to look to downsize our living accommodations. We have lived in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, since the late 70s, and as nature lovers were looking for some land with a little elbow room. In 2011, after about a year of searching, we found a five-acre parcel, The Sumac Grove, that suited our needs. All of the New Urbanists are groaning now, ...[continue reading]

Professional Testing, Inc. and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory invite you to participate in a nationwide research study, validating the practices, characteristics, and activities of the four multifamily building job categories listed below. This is your opportunity to directly contribute to the development of the multifamily home energy upgrade workforce.[continue reading]